The Moore You Know: January 12 - January 26, 2024

Protecting our communities

In 2009, a newlywed couple from Enterprise was cruising down the highway with their whole lives ahead of them. In a split second, an illegal immigrant driving drunk hit the couple and fled the scene, and their lives were cut short. Unfortunately, the story of Angel and Jeremy Seay is not uncommon. In 2021 alone, there were 13,384 impaired driving fatalities and 400,000 injuries. These crashes don’t discriminate -- it could happen to me, or you, or a member of your family.

The tragedy of drunk and impaired driving has become more frequent thanks to Biden’s open southern border. This fiscal year, 35,433 illegals with criminal convictions have come across our border and 294 illegals on the terrorist watch list have been apprehended. This number only includes individuals that our Customs and Border Patrol have caught – we don’t know how many more have slipped through. Many of these criminals are released into our country with a cell phone and a court date. They take our phones, but don’t take our calls.

Sarah Root, a young girl from Iowa, was out celebrating her graduation when an illegal immigrant drunk driver struck and killed her. The assailant was released and never faced justice, causing her family unimaginable pain. President Biden’s 2021 policy to limit deportations and arrests makes it difficult to deport illegals, even if they have been accused or convicted of crimes.

Recently, I introduced legislation, the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act, that would force the Biden Administration to deport illegal immigrants who drive drunk or impaired. While I believe every immigrant who comes to this country illegally deserves to be held accountable, we need to start with those who are most dangerous to our communities. No American family should have to go through what the Seays and the Roots have endured.

Last week, my bill was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee, and it will come to the House floor for a vote next week. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support my legislation to protect American families from these tragedies and ensure criminals are held accountable. 

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